Tectonic evolution of the Pacific-Phoenix-Farallon triple junction in the South Pacific Ocean

Analysis of multibeam and gravity data reveals the tectonic history of the mid-Cretaceous (119-107 Ma) Penrhyn basin in the equatorial south Pacific Ocean. The basin formed during a period of heightened geodynamic activity and cessation of magnetic reversals. Similarities in the geometry of the Tongareva triple junction and the Rodriguez triple junction in the Indian Ocean make this study an interesting comparison between modern and ancient tectonics. Changes in abyssal hill trends during the formation of the basin suggest either a change in the location of the Euler pole describing the relative motion between the Pacific and Farallon plates, or a significant period of oblique spreading. Interaction between the local stress field associated with the break-up of the Manihiki plateau and the regional stress field controlling major plate motions complicated the tectonic evolution of the Penrhyn basin. Construction of velocity triangles from abyssal hill trends and measurements of the triple junction trace suggests that the triple junction oscillated between ridge-ridge-ridge and ridge-ridge-fault configurations. At least two reorganizations in the geometry of the triple junction occurred within 10 Ma of the initial rifting of the Manihiki plateau. Both changes in triple junction geometry coincide with discontinuities in the triple junction trace and result in right-lateral displacements of the triple junction trace. Changes in the bathymetric expression of the triple junction trace suggest a period of triple junction propagation controlled by rift propagation shortly after the change in Euler pole location.